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Bluesky24 · 24-04-2010, 12:41 PM

Retrospective Analysis Of Patients ...more

RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF PATIENTS WITH LOW BACK PAIN

A.Tanrıkut, Z.Güven, D.Ofluoğlu, ö.Kayhan

Marmara Unıversity School of Medicine Department of PM&R,

Istanbul, TurkeyData from patients with low back pain (LBP) followed in the LBP outpatient clinic of the department of PM&R were analyzed retrospectively by evaluating the medical records.

The group studied was composed of 30 females and 27 males and 17 males aged 17 to 75 years. 23 patients (48.93%) were housewives, 12 patients (25.5%) were employees, 9 patients (19.1%) were retired and the remaining 3 patients (6.8%) were wokers.The mean duration of the low back pain complaint was 7.82 years ( 3 months to 30 years). History of the patients revealed the presence of lifting a heavy object in 25 patients (53.19%) and trauma in 5 patients (10.6%) however no initiating etiologic factor was found in 17 patients (36.17%). The first taken imaging study was plain lumbar X-rays in 28 patients (59.5%), MRI in 19 patients (40.4%) and computed tomography in 2 patients (4.2%). Osteodansitometric measurement and EMG examination were performed in 11 (23.24%) and 2 patients (4.2%) respectively. Diagnosis of the patients were lumbar disc herniation (n:23), lumbar spondylosis (n:8), mechanical low back pain (n:5), spondylolystesis (n:4), sacralisation (n:4) lumbar spinal stenosis (n:2), failed back syndrome following spinal surgery (n:2) and fibromyalgia (n:1). The average number of acute low back pain attacks was 3.51 and the mean duration of the bed rest was 13 days/year. All patients were given at least one drug or a combination of drugs to reduce symptoms, inccluding paracetamol (n:18), NSAIDs (n:17), myelorelaxant (n:16) and calcitonin (n:1). Additional to medical treatment 15 patients ( 31.9%) were treated previously with physcial therapy, 7 patients (14.8%) with balneotherapy, 4 patients (8.5%) with surgery and 4 patients with spinal manipulation.

These data suggest that the majority of patients referred to this specific low-back pain outpatient clinic were investigated with at least one imaging study, all patients had an established diagnosis. Whatever was the underlying cause the majority of the symptoms were chronic and recurrent.